Turkish yogurt soup known as Yayla Corbasi is the perfect option for a light meal. This warm yogurt soup is simple, healthy, and naturally vegetarian.
Turkish recipes are among my favorites. We have many classic recipes including Turkish eggs (cilbir), pide bread and lahmacun and now we have this delicious yogurt soup that I can't wait to share with you! It's light and so easy to make, perfect for a cold evening to enjoy for dinner.
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About this recipe
As you probably know by now, I lived in Istanbul for three years and learned a lot from my Turkish colleagues and friends about Turkish cuisine and how rich it is. I love Turkish food, because it always uses fresh and seasonal ingredients and simple cooking methods which results in delicious food like our favorite red lentil soup every time.
Like other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, yogurt is a frequently used ingredient in Turkish cuisine. It's used in appetizers such as cacik and labneh, main dishes and even drinks including ayran.
Turkish yogurt soup, or yayla corbasi is a traditional soup that's made primarily with yogurt. It's a simple dish that's perfect for cold days or days that you'd like to have a light soup that doesn't require much work. We love having a bowl of this hot yogurt soup in winter and I usually make it in a big batch to enjoy through the week.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Rice: Any kind of white rice including basmati or jasmine would work for this recipe.
- Yogurt: You can use Greek yogurt or regular yogurt as long as it's plain and not flavored. If you own an instant pot, you can try making yogurt at home.
- Thickening mixture: A combination of egg and flour helps thickening the soup.
- Dried mint: Another commonly used ingredient in Turkish cuisine, dried mint is usually sautéed in butter then added to the soup. You can find dried mint on Amazon or at local Middle Eastern and Mediterranean shops.
Instructions
- Start by cooking the rice with water until it completely falls apart. To do so, you need more water than you usually use to cook rice. Remember, the water and rice are going to be the base of this soup.
- Mix yogurt, egg and flour and salt in a bowl. Add more water to the cooked rice and stir well. Take the rice off the heat. Using a ladle, slowly add a few ladles of the rice and water mixture to the yogurt and egg mixture. Stir well and mix.
- Add the yogurt and egg mixture back to the cooked rice and water and place it over medium heat. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- In a small pan, melt butter and sauté dried mint for about 30 seconds until it releases its aroma. Add sautéed dried mint to the soup and stir well.
Frequently asked questions
One thing that worries cooks about adding yogurt while cooking is that the food might curdle. To prevent curdling, you must add some of the warm rice and water to the yogurt and egg mixture and mix well to increase the temperature of the yogurt mixture. This step should be done slowly and gradually, meaning you need to add rice and water little by little to the yogurt and mix well after each addition.
Yes, you can make yayla corbasi up to 2 days in advance. Make sure to store it in an airtight container and keep refrigerated. To reheat, place the soup in a pot over medium heat for about 20 minutes.
This soup would be icy and lose its texture if frozen therefore its best to keep it refrigerated.
Serving suggestions
Turkish yogurt soup is a delicious light meal on its own but you can also serve it with some warm homemade pita or with some cold couscous salad or Turkish bulgur salad (kisir) to turn it into a full meal. I also love serving this with homemade borek.
Notes and tips
- The amount of rice for this recipe is ½ cup which might not seem enough. However, since the rice will be over cooked and would completely fall apart, it will multiply in size and would be enough for 4-6 servings.
- It's best if you have the egg and yogurt at room temperature before you start cooking.
- Use a large bowl to mix the yogurt and the egg because you'll need more space to stir in the water from the pot.
- Dried mint burns easily therefore make sure not to sauté it more than 30 seconds. You can also use olive oil instead of butter.
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Turkish Yogurt Soup Yayla Corbasi
Ingredients
- ½ cup white rice washed and rinsed
- 5 cups water see notes
- 1.5 cup plain Greek yogurt room temperature
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt more if needed
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter see notes
- 2 tablespoon dried mint see notes
Instructions
- Place the rice and 3 cups of water in a large pot and bring to simmer. Cover and cook for about 40 minutes until the rice is fully cooked and has fallen apart. If after 40 minutes, the rice hasn't fallen apart, add one more cup of water and cook for 15 more minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix yogurt, egg, flour and salt.
- Once the rice is cooked and has broken into very small pieces, turn the heat off.
- using ladle, slowly add about 1 ½ cup of the rice and water to the yogurt and egg mixture and stir well after each addition.
- Add the yogurt and egg mixture back into the pot. Stir well, turn the heat on to medium and bring to a low simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- In a small pan, melt the butter and saute dried mint for about 30 seconds.
- Add sauteed mint and butter to the simmering soup. Stir well.
- Serve Turkish yogurt soup warm.
Notes
- The amount of rice for this recipe is ½ cup which might not seem enough. However, since the rice will be over cooked and would completely fall apart, it will multiply in size and would be enough for 4-6 servings.
- It's best if you have the egg and yogurt at room temperature before you start cooking.
- Use a large bowl to mix the yogurt and the egg because you'll need more space to stir in the water from the pot.
- Dried mint burns easily therefore make sure not to sauté it more than a minute. You can also use olive oil instead of butter.
- You can use long grain or short grain white rice for this recipe. Either basmati or jasmine rice would work.
- You may need to add more water depending on the rice and how thick you would like the soup to be.
Selma Sezer-Demir
This is one of our family favourites. I make mine a little different I add the rice, egg, yogurt and salt together mixing it all at once then I add the water and I stir continuously till it comes to the boil. I also find that browning my butter and mint sauce gives it more flavour. Great soup to have all year round. Thank you for sharing.
Michelle
It was so delicious and everyone loved it! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Tayler
I made this soup for dinner last night and it was incredible! So full of flavor and definitely going to make it again.
Luci
This was so easy to make and really good! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
nancy
i've never had yogurt in soup before. it sounds really interesting. i can't wait to make it on the weekend